As the year 2014 is coming to an end, and as I (very slowly) finished the reviews of movies of 2014, it is now time to turn our attention towards the music of movies of the coming year 2015. The first album I got my hands on was Tevar, a romantic action movie releasing on 9th January, 2015. The film stars Arjun Kapoor and Sonakshi Sinha in lead roles, with Manoj Bajpayee appearing in a negative role. The film has been directed by debutant Amit Ravindernath Sharma and produced by Boney Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Sunil Lulla, Naresh Agarwal and Sunil Manchanda. The film is the official Hindi remake of the 2003 Telugu film ‘Okkadu’. Now, considering that the film is a South remake, everyone would naturally expect a masala soundtrack to the film, and who better than Sajid-Wajid for just that!? This year, the duo has been at a peak point in their career, giving albums like ‘Main Tera Hero’, ‘Heropanti’ and ‘Daawat-e-Ishq’ that took me by surprise after the disastrous ‘Bullett Raja’ last year. What’s more, when the duo had teamed up with Boney Kapoor for the last time, the result was a splendid, enjoyable soundtrack — ‘Wanted’. Now, one can only expect the same from the music of this movie, and hope that Sajid-Wajid just continue their spree of making hit songs that cater to the audience. This time, there is one guest composer too, that is Dutch rapper Imran Khan. The soundtrack also consists of an old (not OLD old, but not new either) composition by Shafqat Amanat Ali, recreated by Sajid-Wajid. So let’s just hope my reviews for 2015 releases start off on a good note with ‘Tevar’!

ALSO: Remember how I reviewed the albums ‘Titoo MBA’ and ‘Zed Plus’ back in November? CLICK HERE if you don’t… Well, many people suggested me to keep writing all reviews that way and told me that they liked that method.. So this year, let me try a little something different! 🙂

• Composition: The film, which revolves around a theme of ‘Attitude’ has to have at least one song full of just that, and that is presented to us in the form of this song. Sajid-Wajid’s composition is very catchy, and in spite of trying to sound ‘cool’ deliberately like ‘Baaki Sab First Class Hai’ from ‘Jai Ho’, it really works in sounding cool unlike the former song, thanks to the powerful and punchy tune which the other song lacked. The hookline also has that ability to make you hum it over and over, unknowingly. The rhythmic hook tune by the backing vocalists also grabs your attention when it opens the song.• Vocals: Wajid’s full-of-attitude rendition really takes the composition to another level, making this the first time I must’ve ever praised his weird voice with that slight nasal twang in it. Backing vocalists do a good job and actually sound like the buddies of a guy trying to show off. Impressive vocals that work in favor for the song.• Lyrics: Again, though the lyrics certainly don’t deserve awards, they sure do deserve to be praised for their relevance to the theme. Danish, Kausar and Sajid together have written lyrics that would be lapped up by today’s audience and that youngsters these days can relate to. The references to Superman and Salman Khan have been very smartly added.• Music/Arrangements/Recording: You can always rely on one thing from Sajid-Wajid, that is, however bad be the composition, their arrangements are always enjoyable and groovy. This time too, they have put in efforts to make the arrangements sound great, and succeeded. Mostly supported by techno beats, the music of the song makes for a nice listen even if you didn’t like the song much. Recording is fab too.• Mass Appeal: Definitely! The song will mostly appeal to children, youngsters and teenagers, but you might see some middle-aged people humming it as well. (Personal experience 😂 )• Anything Special Worth Hearing? Nothing special as such, but the song overall makes for an enjoyable listen.• #5StarHotelSong or Not? Yup.. #5StarHotelSong!!

• Composition: Sajid-Wajid, whom I consider to be experts at delivering traditional dance music, have done exactly what was expected in the next track, but they’ve added an unexpected, but very welcome Western-ish twist in the hookline, turning the song into a fusion dance number. The composition turns out to be predominantly engaging.• Vocals: When I saw that Ritu Pathak was the lead singer, I was ready for a typical Ritu itemish song. After hearing the song, though, all I can do is praise her! Her voice is a perfect blend of the classical plus western elements needed for this song and kudos to Sajid-Wajid for finally dishing out her real talent and maybe just giving her a chance to finally prove herself in the industry. The backing chorus by Shabab & Danish Sabri in the prelude and interludes increases the spunk of the song as well.• Lyrics: Lyrics here aren’t that impressive, mainly because of the déjà vu factor that they carry; we’ve heard such lyrics in too many Bollywood “Radha-Kanha” songs, and so frankly, hearing them once more doesn’t really make them sound any more fresh. Good attempt by Kausar though. The rap written by Danish, though totally irrelevant to the song, sounds good when heard with the song.• Music/Arrangements/Recording: Again, Sajid-Wajid have left no stone unturned when it comes to arrangements. The arrnagements done by them here are fabulous as well. They give a sense of grandeur to the sing and create an ambience of an actual dance performance happening live in front of you. The sitars, tablas, tanpura, nagadas and all such instruments increase the traditional quotient in the song, while on the other hand, instruments like rock guitars and other techno sounds help to keep balance between traditionalism and modernity of the song. Grand percussion by the duo really makes the song sound huge.• Mass Appeal: The song definitely has the power to strike a chord with semi-classical and fusion lovers. And of course, it will become huge amongst the masses.• Anything Special Worth Hearing? The way the duo has composed and arranged the antaras of the song is something not to miss! Half the beauty of the song lies in those parts itself!• #5StarHotelSong or Not? Surely.. A ticket for Ritu to re-enter Bollywood with renewed name and fame! #5StarHotelSong!

• Composition: With the next song, in walk the deadly combination of Sajid-Wajid and Mamta Sharma. The same old annoying item compositions which we’ve heard many times from Sajid-Wajid are rehashed and revived in the form of this song, resulting in a song that doesn’t impress much itself as an individual song. You can call it a revisitation of ‘Dhadhang Dhang’ from ‘Rowdy Rathore’ with a rowdier and raunchier (though not necessarily better) tune.• Vocals: Mika hasn’t left us very much to expect from him, after his many disastrous releases last year, and as expected, he fails to impress. Mamta just comes and does her everyday thing, that is, try to be rowdy and succeed, but do it in such a way that you will get nothing but insults from listeners. Her voice literally pierces your eardrums. 😂• Lyrics: From an item song, it is futile to expect some meaningful lyrics, and though it is Kausar with the pen here, she does nothing but disappoint in a way she has never done before.• Music/Arrangements/Recording: Seems like Sajid-Wajid did have some self-respect left, and decided to at least arrange the song in a better way than they composed it. The beats, have the power to at least keep you listening through the whole song before pressing the ‘SKIP’ button. However, they make blunders here too, by adding those maddening horns! It’s as if they’re torturing us by purposely playing those harsh-sounding horns.• Mass Appeal: Not a song that will appeal to everyone, but only a limited section of the audience! For the front-row seaters!• Anything Special Worth Hearing? Nope!• #5StarHotelSong or Not? Not at all!!

• Composition: Well, who would have ever expected such a classy tune from Sajid-Wajid?! They have very effectively composed a beautiful tune, which is capable of bringing your hair stand upright because of the slight underlying haunting feeling to the composition. The song actually sounds like it would fit in a Bhatt album! The sincerity with which the duo has composed the song is really evident in the song. The impact that the hookline has is enough to take away your breath. The antara has been composed with proficiency by the duo. It emerges as one of the most complete and fulfilling composition of Sajid-Wajid.• Vocals: Shruti singing, in spite of not being a member of the cast, is really a great thing. I wonder from where Sajid-Wajid got the genius idea of picking her up to do the honors of singing this song. However, one thing is sure, that they do not need to worry about whether they have chosen the right singer for the song. Shruti has sung each and every line with splendour and grace, and being a trained classical singer, her variations too, sound complete. Wajid, who sings along with her in the hookline, really makes a lasting impact.• Lyrics: Finally, Kausar leaves her mark in the album, and spins wonderful words, that stay with you for long, also helping to improve the tune that Sajid-Wajid have come up with.• Music/Arrangements/Recording: The magnificent composition has been accessorized by great orchestral strokes, wonderful percussion, and not to mention the impressive rock guitar pieces infused into the song. The buildup to the hookline has been done in the most striking way possible, with great impactful arrangements to provide the required effect. Strings are prominent throughout the song, and I have to praise Sajid-Wajid for using them so brilliantly!• Mass Appeal: With proper promotion, the song will surely became a rage amongst lovers of soulful music.• Anything Special Worth Hearing? The antara is the most impressive part of the whole song, in my opinion. Beautiful arrangements by the duo will keep your ears tuned to the song till it ends.• #5StarHotelSong or Not? This one definitely deserves to be one, for being one of Sajid-Wajid’s most mature songs, so here goes… #5StarHotelSong!

• Composition: The song, originally composed by Shafqat Amanat Ali for an album of his, gets recreated by Sajid-Wajid, and hopefully, will gain immense popularity (which it deserves!) after its inclusion in such a big-banner film. Though Shafqat had already done all there can be done to make the composition intact, credit has to be given to Sajid-Wajid for representing it to us, in a way that it will cater to Bollywood audiences.• Vocals: Shafqat is top-notch in the song, and he delivers the variations with utmost ease, very smoothly. No other singer could have sung it better than he himself, and it kind of sounds reasonable to let Shafqat sing his own composition. His voice radiates a sense of peace and serenity to the listener.• Lyrics: Lyrics have also been modified here and there by Kausar Munir, keeping the overall theme the same as the original song. The new lyrics by Kausar have been written such that it could appeal to the audience of Bollywood films as well.• Music/Arrangements/Recording: Sajid-Wajid just never fail to make the arrangements awesome! Even in this song, they have done everything impressively. The tablas and rock sounds awesome together! Sitars and guitars as used together in the song are to die for! Recording has been done fabulously too.• Mass Appeal: One can just hope that since it has been included in a Boney Kapoor production, it will get the deserved recognition, but that all depends on the audience! It surely does have the capability though!• Anything Special Worth Hearing? The repeating chorus by Shafqat and Wajid is really soothing and worth hearing again and again!• #5StarHotelSong Or Not? Definitely a #5StarHotelSong!!

• Composition: Imran Khan, the Dutch rapper debuts in Bollywood to compose a club number, which he fails to make as catchy as his previous non-film songs. The composition doesn’t leave much of an impression and is likely to be forgotten after a month or so.• Vocals: The vocals by him are no better, either. Though engaging at places, they do not help to grasp your attention as they should fpr the whole song. Sonakshi’s small cameo part doesn’t make much of a difference, as it is all autotuned, and anyone could have sung it.• Lyrics: The song is full of weird lyrics, half the time not even making any sense, and contradicting themselves in every other line! This is really proving to be a tiresome debut by Imran!• Music/Arrangements/Recording: Techno beats and nothing else fill up the song, but the recording has been done pretty good. Some of the beats attract while others just seem bland and dull.• Mass Appeal: Will surely be enjoyed thoroughly by the party freaks out there, but if you ask me, it shouldn’t deserve that, either!• Anything Special Worth Hearing? Nothing!• #5StarHotelSong Or Not? Not this time, Imran!

Tevar sees Sajid-Wajid continue their hit run which they were on since last year, and yet again, they prove to listeners, that if they are determined, they surely can deliver a great album! Though the item song doesn’t impress (when do item songs impress nowadays!?) and Imran Khan fails to debut memorably in Bollywood, the album as a whole has variety, which is most important. There is a song for every kind of music lover in the album, and that is the best part about it. With this album, 2015 has been kicked off with an impressive, TEVAR-IFFIC start!!

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